Fire Safety Tips You Should Know

It is very important that as a Chicago condominium owner or HOA manager that you are aware and updated on all fire safety tips pertaining to your building. If you do not keep updated on these various safety protocols, it can lead to dangerous issues in the building or costly fines. As an HOA leader or an owner of a condo, you must make sure that you’re building is fire safe at all times. From tenants using candles or grills to fireplaces on cold winter Chicago days, your condo must be safe and secure for all involved. Whether you hire a Chicago property manager or you work with the Chicago fire safety experts at Connected Fire Safety Services, here are some tips to keep in mind.

Know Your Inspections

As a minimum, your building in Chicago should be checked at least once a year by your local fire marshal. They can come in and perform safety checks throughout the condominium and update you on areas that need to be fixed. You should be knowledgeable, however, on the codes and inspections required in Chicago. It will depend on how often your local regulations state as to how many times a year and what aspects of fire safety should be verified at your location.

For example, if you have fire escapes on your Chicago condo, you’ll need to have those inspected at different intervals than your fire extinguishers and alarms inside the building. It is a great benefit to you as an HOA or condo manager to work with an experienced fire safety team in Chicago to make sure you’re covered when inspections are due.

Host Regular Fire Drills

As a Chicago property owner, you want to make sure that you host annual fire drills. If you’ve had a larger turnover in your property, consider having fire drills more frequently, but at least host it once a year. One prime time to do this is in the month of October. This month is fire safety month so there will be a lot of literature and advertising about it already in place. While you may feel silly about having a fire drill with your tenants, realize it is a necessary part of being a Chicago condo owner. Properly training your tenants on how they will escape the building if it should catch fire is very important. You never want to have to put this training to use but it’s better to know how to get out than to be caught in a dangerous situation without training.

Consider Banning Certain Items

As a property manager in Chicago, consider banning certain fire hazards in your condo altogether. Items such as outdoor grills can be banned from tenants using them or owning them while on the property. This can help reduce the fire safety hazards you may face. Also, keep a ban in place that items that are combustible cannot be stored on the balcony of the apartment. Consider keeping a rule in place that nothing with a flame bigger than a candle is allowed in the condo itself.

Install Safety Items

Don’t forget to have items such as sprinklers, fire alarms, and other devices installed to give your tenants notice that something it going on. Sprinklers also help with keeping the fire damage in your Chicago condo to a minimum and contained into certain areas.

These are just a few of the fire safety tips you should keep in mind as a condo or apartment owner. You want to make sure that all your tenants protected and your building is in compliance with state codes in your area. Work with a fire safety expert in the Chicago area such as Connected Fire Safety Services to ensure your tenants and property are secure.